Going after New Orleans' violent gangs: Editorial

Mr. Cannizzaro is using racketeering charges to target the "Cross the Canal" gang, and he deserves credit for focusing on alleged violent offenders

Officials in New Orleans' criminal justice system have taken substantial steps in recent years to focus on violent offenders, including some of the city's most notorious street gangs. As part of that effort, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro is once again turning to the state's rarely-used racketeering law to go after alleged members of the city's organized drug trade -- and that's a strategy worth pursuing.

Times-Picayune archiveNew Orleans' District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro is using the state's racketeering law to prosecute violent gangs.

Attorneys representing some of the defendants said they were surprised by the indictments and characterized them as a futile effort by the district attorney's office to try to get other defendants to testify against their clients.

But the charges filed include serious offenses, and several of the defendants have lengthy criminal histories, including numerous convictions for drug-related crimes and violence.

It's unusual for local prosecutors to use racketeering statutes, which have been more commonly used in federal court against organized crime, public corruption and, at times, in drug cases. Under racketeering statutes, prosecutors can charge anyone who knew or participated in even a small part of a criminal racket, they can present evidence of other crimes and they can argue that individual criminal acts were committed to further a larger enterprise.

The law has potentially harsher penalties against defendants, if convicted. That makes it a powerful tool against crime. But racketeering investigations take longer and are more costly than other criminal probes, which explains why state prosecutors seldom use this statute.

In New Orleans, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office has used racketeering charges to crack down on members of the "Josephine Dog Pound" gang and the 3-N-G gang, which terrorized parts of Central City for years.

But Mr. Cannizzaro also has successfully used racketeering charges. In late 2010, his office secured indictments against 11 men for allegedly being part of the "D-Block Gang" in the 6th Ward. Prosecutors said gang members sold large quantities of cocaine and marijuana, and several were also involved in violent crimes that ranged from shootings to armed robberies. Six of the defendants charged in the "D-Block Gang" had other pending charges in criminal court. Five of the 11 members alone had amassed at least 100 arrests combined, including for some violent offenses.

All but one of the 11 people charged in the "D-Block" case have since pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to prison times of three to 15 years in prison.

With that track record, it's not surprising that Mr. Cannizzaro is using racketeering charges to target the "Cross the Canal" gang, and he deserves credit for focusing on alleged violent offenders. His spokesman, Chris Bowman, said Mr. Cannizzaro plans to continue building cases against "violent criminals who are funding their enterprise via trafficking of illegal narcotics."

That should put other city street gangs on notice and could put a significant dent in New Orleans violent crime.